You can request a refund if your Council Tax account is in credit. This could happen if:
- you have moved out of Wirral or are no longer liable for Council Tax at your new address
- you have been awarded a discount or exemption
- you have been awarded Council Tax Support
- the banding of your property has reduced
- there was an overpayment of Council Tax
All credits are checked before any refunds are issued. We will allocate an overpayment or credit to any other Council Tax accounts you may have. Any outstanding change in circumstances will also be actioned first. Revised notifications will be issued to confirm any change to the credit balance.
How we pay
Refunds can only be paid directly into a UK bank account suitable for Direct Debits. This will be done by bank transfer (Bacs). We cannot refund into savings accounts.
We do not normally issue refunds for amounts under £10. In order to minimise potential fraud, cheques are no longer issued.
If you receive a refund you are not entitled to, you will be required to pay it back to Wirral Borough Council.
Errors and disputes
We have the right to refuse a refund if the credit has occurred due to an error.
A dispute over a refund can arise between individuals who have been jointly liable for a bill. For example, in the case of a relationship breakdown where one party has moved out. We will not become involved in disputes of this nature as we expect the parties concerned to reach a mutual resolution.
The credit will normally remain with the property concerned. We reserve the right to take individual circumstances into account where appropriate. For example, where all payments were received from one person’s bank account we may decide to refund them.
Claiming a refund on behalf of someone else
The bank details you supply must belong to the person responsible for the Council Tax at the address you are claiming a refund for.
If they do not have their own bank account or there is another reason why a refund cannot be issued directly to them, please ensure you provide a contact telephone number and/or email address as we may need further information before we are able to process the refund.
If the person responsible for the Council Tax has passed away, the executor, administrator of the estate, or appointed solicitor can claim the refund on their behalf. We may require evidence of appointment of executorship, for example, a copy of the will.
How to request a refund
You will need to provide us with:
- your Council Tax reference number, which can be found on your Council Tax bill
- payees name and address of the property
- contact telephone number and email address
- bank account number, sort code and bank name and address
All requests for a refund will be subject to validation checks. After validation has taken place, we will issue a refund via Bacs as soon as possible from the date of request.
Request a refund on your Council Tax account
